Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

Fitfully funny films from some familiar faces

Tina Fey plays an admissions officer at a prestigious school whose life gets turned upside down in “Admission.”

Perception plays a huge role in the reception of certain films. In the case of ADMISSION (PG-13, 2 1/2 stars), the prevailing thought, given the broad nature of the film’s marketing and the history of stars Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, that this would be a smart, perceptive comedy about the world of college.

But in no way would I describe this as a comedy. Yeah, there are some mild laughs to enjoy, but this is WAY more serious than I was led to believe, and I have to think the rest of moviegoing public agreed with me, since the film was a major box office disappointment, pulling in just $18 million.

Part of the problem is that the story simply doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny, and that central conceit strains some solid performances. Fey stars as Portia, a successful admissions officer at Princeton whose life is turned upside down when she meets John (Paul Rudd), an old college classmate who runs an alternative school.

John’s prized student is prodigy Jeremiah, and he pulls out all the stops to try to get the young man into Princeton, including revealing a sensitive bit of information to the repressed Portia. My biggest issue with this film is that Portia accepts this information at face value and begins to alter her life and career without doing any sort of double checking of her own.

I love Fey, and while it always will be hard not to think of her as the harried Liz Lemon of “30 Rock,” she does a fine job in this semi-dramatic role. Rudd does his thing too, but I kept secretly wishing for both of them to be more, well, funny.

There’s nothing wrong with “Admission,” but it’s certainly a film you won’t remember much long after pressing “stop” on your entertainment device.

***

Genial and inoffensive, THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (PG-13, 2 1/2 stars) was destined to be one of those movies that would become a staple on TBS in the future, but now, thanks to the tragic passing of James Gandolfini, it will be remembered as one of the actor’s last roles.

Even in his bit part as a casino magnate, Gandolfini brings an easy charm and a casual menace to a film that could have used much more bite than it delivers.

Steve Carell stars as the titular character, a tormented child who turns to magic and becomes a smash hit, teaming up with his longtime friend The Amazing Anton (Steve Buscemi) to create a successful Las Vegas show. But as the years go by, Burt becomes more egotistical and the audience begins to dry up, drawn away by the “extreme” tricks of street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey).

After he loses his show, Burt begins to tone down the swagger, and reconnects with inspiration Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), who is living in an old-folks home on the outskirts of Vegas. Starting from the bottom, and with the aid of easy-on-the-eyes aspiring magician Jane (Olivia Wilde), Burt begins to rebuild his rep.

It’s hard to waste Carrey, who gives his demented all in his comedy roles, but this film does. We never learn anything about Steve except that he’s certifiable. There’s no method to his attempted takedowns of Burt, and no reason why he’d be interested at all in a casino showcase from Bally’s magnate Doug Munny (Gandolfini).

Carell excels at playing blowhards, so this kind of material should have been in his wheelhouse, but there’s little magic here.

***

Part “The Hangover” and “Project X,” 21 AND OVER (R, 2 stars) wants to be the crazy college movie that inspires bros everywhere, but the film doesn’t have the courage of its convictions to truly stake the claims made by the two films noted.

I really wanted to like this movie, and there were certain elements on the fringe of the film (like the bad guy spirit leader’s henchmen, or the foul-mouthed female resident of the dorm) that made me laugh, but I couldn’t get down with the three main characters.

Miller (Miles Teller) is the motor-mouthed dude who thinks he’s God’s gift to women, while Casey (Skylar Astin) is the sarcastic overachiever content to get ahead in life. They arrive at an unnamed college (although eagle-eyed watchers will note it’s the University of Washington) ready to celebrate with high school friend Jeff Chang (Justin Chon), who is turning 21.

There’s only one problem – Jeff Chang doesn’t want to party, fearing reprisals from his stern father (Francois Chau) on the eve of an important interview for medical school. But Miller successfully browbeats Jeff Chang into a night on the town, and before long, the night is an alcohol-fueled blur, with Jeff Chang suddenly AWOL.

It’s up to Miller and Casey to track him down, and over the course of the night, they get into a series of adventures, with Casey meeting cute with a free-spirited girl (Sarah Wright) and Miller running afoul of a Latina sorority while realizing that, gasp!, they’ve grown apart since high school.

The results end up feeling a bit too tidy for my tastes – why can’t Miller just be a partying slacker instead of an amazing student who dropped out of school? Why can’t Casey care about his future instead of throwing it away on a girl who had a boyfriend until the final minutes of the film? Screenwriters call this growth, but it feels like a cop out instead.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too, Jeff Chang.

***

Let’s face it, Melissa McCarthy is funny in just about anything, but even she can’t save IDENTITY THIEF (R, 1 1/2 stars), a lazy mishmash of the odd couple and road trip movies that stumbled with critics but connected with audiences, raking in approximately $175 million.

The plot revolves around Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), a family man who is shocked to discover that one day, all his credit cards have been overdrawn, the victim of an identity theft. The cops don’t offer much help, aside from discovering that the true culprit is a woman in Florida named Diana (McCarthy).

In the first of many curious decisions, Sandy decides the best course of action is to drive to Florida and convince Diana to return with him to Denver to clear his name. Only Sandy doesn’t realize that Sandy is also wanted by a pair of gangsters (T.I., Genesis Rodriguez) and a skiptracer (Robert Patrick).

No road movie is complete without awkward hotel stays, car crashes, radio fights and long-term bonding, and this one is no different. But the premise under which we are to believe these two polar opposites would become friends is too much to swallow.

Since McCarthy is so likeable, it is interesting to see her positioned as the “bad guy,” but that doesn’t last too long. Bateman is a great straight man, able to sell a joke with a simple look of exasperation, but it’s safe to say he’s starting to get pigeonholed.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.